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No, it did not have lies on it. It was not fictitious. But it was not true to the job I was applying for.

I knew that I could make some tweaks and make it more of a product manager resume, and I’d probably get more replies and interviews. But I didn’t.

My ego was in the way. Seriously. And, a part of me was afraid to be successful in my job search. Double seriously.

My resume was okay. I’d give it a B+. For a targeted product manager resume I’d give it a C. Not because it didn’t have product manager stuff on it, but because I knew there were tweaks I could have made to make it much more appealing for product manager roles.

I say this not to boast, but it was the reality of my search. I knew I could have tweaked that one thing and gotten better results. But did I really want better results? I was still conflicted about getting a job…

Anyway, here’s the point of today’s post: YES, your resume should be tweaked. Get it hyper-focused on the role/title you are applying to.

The purpose of your resume is to make it past the screeners. That might be a recruiter, it might be a hiring manager, it might be technology (ATS). If you are one of 50 (or one of 500) and there are others that are clearly better positioned than you, according to the resumes, then you lose. It’s as simple as that.

My first job, as a hiring manager with a lot of applicants, is to figure out who I should focus on. If I have 5 or 10 that are perfect matches on paper then I focus on those, as opposed to those who are near matches but have weird stuff and distractions.

Those distractions might make you feel good (look, it shows more about your breadth or depth) but they are LIES at this point.

Stay super hyper focused. Don’t let your ego dictate your resume content. Use the resume as a tool to get you into interviews…. not as a brag sheet to be read at your funeral to show how cool and accomplished you were.

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JibberJobber is a powerful tool that lets you manage your career, from job search to relationship management to target company management (and much more). Free for life, or upgrade for a year for only $60 (includes the Video Library!)

The premium level of JibberJobber ($60/year) includes access to the JibberJobber Video Library, which has many courses that help you with your career management.